Meinrad Schütz

Meinrad contactor , and the contactor of Waldshut (* 1440 in Waldshut , † after 1479) was a South German soldier and mercenary leader in Basel and Imperial - Habsburg services. He is considered one of the forerunners of the German mercenaries .

Live and act

Meinard contactor of Waldshut was a professional soldier and mercenary leader, who along with his cousin Werlin Rieher from Hégenheim military operations in the service of the city of Basel , the Duke René II. Of Lorraine and the Prince of Orange as captain of Maximilian I executed. In 1474 Meinrad Schütz was sent to Breisach by the city of Basel to secure the overthrow of the Burgundian bailiff Peter von Hagenbach . In the same year he led a Basel mercenary contingent of 202 soldiers to the Reichsheer to relieve the city ​​of Neuss, besieged by Charles the Bold . In 1475 he commanded the defense of the city of Nancy against Charles the Bold in the service of Duke René I. In 1476 Meinrad Schütz, at the head of 600 Basel mercenaries, made an incursion into the Free County of Burgundy and lay before Salins . Meinrad Schütz entered the service of Prince von Orange, Johann IV of Chalon , in 1479 , who was deployed as field captain of Maximilian I against Charles VIII of France .

Meinrad Schütz was never referred to as a Landsknecht in contemporary sources, but is regarded as their forerunner and role model.